


“I got you a present.”

by thenorthernwastrel



Category: Fable (Video Games), Fable 3 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memories, Nostalgia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23294587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenorthernwastrel/pseuds/thenorthernwastrel
Summary: The Hero recalls something from their childhood that they'd completely forgotten.
Relationships: Hero of Brightwall & Jasper, Hero of Brightwall & Walter Beck
Kudos: 5





	“I got you a present.”

_“I got you a present.”_  


_“Oh?” Walter put down the book he’d been trying to read for the last half hour to eye the excited child.  
_

_“Yes! But you have to close your eyes—And promise not to peek!” They shifted their feet impatiently, hands held tight behind their back. A huge smile ruled their face, and the knight found it contagious.  
_

_“All right, all right—But what’s the occasion?”  
_

_“It’s for your birthday!”  
_

_“My_ birthday _?” Confusion. “And when is that exactly?”_

_They squinted their eyes at him in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. “You don’t know when your own birthday is? Didn’t your mummy ever tell you?”_

_He laughed. “Of course she did. I’m only wondering when_ you _think it is.”_

 _They seemed satisfied with that answer, mouthing the word ‘oh’ and nodding. “Well, I don’t_ really _know—But I saw Jas’ wrapping you up something so I thought it must be soon!”_

_Aha! Old man was found out. If he prodded a bit further he could probably get out just what they’d seen being wrapped—but he figured it a bit unfair._

_“Close your eyes! Close your eyes, Walter, come on!”  
_

_Ah, right. He closed his eyes, holding his hands out, and waited, completely at their mercy._

_After a few seconds of shuffling, something was finally placed in his hands. Something wooden and… somewhat heavy?_

_When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was that big toothy grin–Well, a bit less toothy than usual, as they’d lost one two days ago. He looked down to his hands, seeing something vaguely round and uneven, and definitely made of wood. Turning it around in his hands, he saw rough marks where the piece had been crudely carved, and lines in certain places to make the impression of… something. An animal?_

_“Do you like it?” How could they smile that big so often? Didn’t their face hurt?  
_

_Walter feigned excitement right back at them, examining the object emphatically in front of him like it was a sacred masterpiece he’d never have the privilege of touching again. “It’s amazing—I love it! You made this?”_

_They nodded their head up and down so fast it was a wonder how they didn’t get a rush. “It’s a chicken, can’t you tell? Logan couldn’t…”_

_For once, he couldn’t blame the King. If they hadn’t said it he probably never would have seen it, the way the lines and scrapes went together to make the attempted detailed impression of feathers, and how the shape was different where the head and feet were supposed to be._

_He looked at them, acting baffled. “What? Why of course it’s a chicken–It’s a rooster, even–I can tell! Here’s the beak and wattle and everything! Who taught you to do this? It’s_ marvelous _.”_

_They beamed, practically jumping up and down. “No one did! I saw Logan in his room carving one, so I wanted to make one! You really like it?”_

_He laughed again, ruffling up their hair and holding the figure up to the light shining through the window. “It’s perfect, it’s absolutely perfect.”_

* * *

The door to the cupboard hung open, all of its content emptied, save for one lump of poorly carved wood. The Hero stared at it, speechless. He really kept this old thing?

“I think that’s everything,” Jasper’s familiar voice rang behind them, followed by the sound of the window curtains being closed. The large room darkened slightly, but they couldn’t bring themselves to tear their eyes away from the rooster just yet. 

They watched passively as one of their hands slowly reached out to take the figure, finding it much smaller and lighter than they remembered. Holding it in their hands was surreal; they failed to notice a tear slip down their face until it made a spot on the wood.

“What’s that?” Suddenly Jasper was just behind them, and they quickly wiped at their eye.  


“It–It’s nothing, it’s just…” 

Jasper took it from their hands, holding it up to examine. “it’s a… _chicken_ , if I’m not mistaken.”

They chuckled and sniffed once, no longer embarrassed by their state of emotion. “Yeah, I… I made it for him, when I was seven. I can’t believe he held onto it for so long.”

The butler smiled. “Well, Walter was always sentimental when it came to gifts.” He lowered it, then held it out part way. “Would you like to keep it?”

They smiled, but looked down at the ground. “No, I don’t think so. It’s… just junk now.”

“Very well,” he replied, taking it to set with the other items they had been clearing out of the recently vacant room. It wasn’t that surprising—The thing was rather silly, and since _they_ had made it they likely didn’t see any value or point to keeping it.   


But Jasper did. He placed it in his own, personal keep-section, along with a few other of Walter’s items that held their own memories. He’d already planned a space for it in his own cupboard, where it would stay, hopefully unnoticed by the other. 

“Come on, then.” He began leading them outside, two full chests in hand. “I’ll send the maids to see to the rest.”  


The Hero took one final glance at the room, and blew out the candle that had been lit in it for as long as they could remember. “All right Jasper, I’m coming.”


End file.
